Love Comes in Small Packages

by Lori Foster, Maisey Yates

Genres: Women's Fiction

Synopsis

A heartwarming duo of tales about unexpected love and family, from the bonds of sisterhood to the magic of friends to lovers, and the joys of infants and fur babies, plus all the surprises romance has to offer, even amid life’s missteps . . .

A portion of proceeds from this book support AAF, Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter.
aafpets.org

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE * LORI FOSTER
Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s really screwed up by finding herself possibly accidentally pregnant, and definitely not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. But telling Knox everything may change . . . well, everything. Especially amid a comedy of pregnancy test errors, a robbery, a cat rescue mission—and the realization that Knox sees her as so much more than a pretty face . . . .

THE RANCHER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY * MAISEY YATES
Ellie Parks helplessly watched her beloved sister, Melanie, spiral into addiction in high school, thanks to her toxic relationship with Ty Porter. Ellie, now a teacher, hasn’t seen Melanie in over a year when she gets a call from Child Protective Services that Melanie has a baby—and she’s surrendered her parental rights. Ellie races to the hospital, but someone’s beat her to it: rodeo champion Clark Porter, the baby’s uncle. Clark’s a good man and he’ll be damned if his niece grows up without him. Until they find a custody solution, Ellie will just have to move into his ranch house. Temporarily. Obviously. Except that they’re attracted to each other. Risking the unconventional family they’re creating is the last thing they need. Then again, if what they feel is deeper than attraction, it may be what they need most . . .

Release date: March 31, 2026

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 224

Sample

Of course it was in the low nineties in early September. The broiling sun hung like a fiery ball in the cloudless afternoon sky. Ohio weather was always unpredictable, but usually by now the temps would be mid to high seventies.

No one wanted to shingle a roof in this heat, but after a destructive rainstorm, and with more rain in the forecast, it was now or never for the elderly customers who’d hired him. No way could he leave them with a leaking roof.

Thankfully, Knox Nial had a great crew. They weren’t complaining, so he couldn’t complain. Good thing they’d started early and the house was small.

He had his hammer raised when the phone in his back pocket buzzed. Pausing, he fished it out to glance at the screen. His friend Ford had recently married and was finally able to take his wife on a brief getaway. Knox had volunteered to pet sit their two dogs—with the help of Ford’s new sister-in-law, which Knox considered a bonus.

It was the sister-in-law, Laylee Fairchild, calling him now. She knew he was roofing today, which made him worry there might be a problem with one of the dogs. He answered on the third ring. “What’s up? Everything okay?”

He didn’t realize he’d accidentally put her on speaker until she loudly wailed, “Knox, I think I’m pregnant!”

Several things happened at once.

The other three men went silent. Knox fumbled the phone, tried to grab it, and lost his footing. Both he and the phone tumbled right over the side of the roof, landing in ancient shrubbery.

For several seconds, Knox didn’t move. He was half in, half out of the bushes, which—maybe—had broken his fall. The other men were shouting, quickly descending the ladder, and he finally got it together enough to groan.

Laylee was still talking a mile a minute, so he grabbed for the phone, getting more scratches in the process, and said, “Give me just a sec.”

There was a brief hesitation, and she asked, “Why do you sound like that?” And then, with a touch of anger, “You aren’t the dad, Knox! We haven’t even had sex.”

The guys, who had been in the process of reaching for him, all grinned.

Knox said, “I fell off the roof.”

“You … what?”

“I’m fine.” He hoped. Accepting a hand, he scrambled to his feet, checked his body, and decided other than bloody scratches and a few likely bruises, he’d survived. “Hold on.” He held the phone against his thigh and drew a breath.

Pregnant. Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming.

When he thought of Laylee, as he often did, it was the two of them together—which, admittedly, hadn’t happened yet, but he was working on it. Some other dude in the picture, though? Damn.

He glanced at the guys, saw them all waiting, and frowned. “I need to take this call.”

The three of them nodded.

Willie, the oldest at forty-seven, who’d started with Knox’s dad before Knox had taken over the construction company, gave a snort. “You shouldn’t keep her waiting. She sounded upset.” Nothing much bothered Willie, so he headed back up the ladder, calling over his shoulder, “You two. Get back to work.”

The two younger men lingered because they were snoops. Knox knew they’d be ribbing him for weeks about this. Pointing to his Silverado, which was parked on the street, he said, “I’m going to sit in the truck for privacy.” Not for the air-conditioning, though he wouldn’t complain about that part. “You heard Willie. Back to work.”

As he walked away, he took the phone off speaker and put it to his ear. “Laylee?”

She screeched, “You fell off a roof?”

Wincing, he opened his truck door. A miserable blast of heat poured out. “Yeah.” He started the engine and turned the air on full blast. “But I’m fine.”

“Oh, my God, Knox, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault, isn’t it? I startled you.”

Startled him? She’d damn near stopped his heart. “Don’t worry about me. You said you’re pregnant?”

He heard two deep breaths, and then she whispered, “I think I might be.”

Which meant she also might not be. “Okay, one step at a time. Tell me why you think that.”

“Please know that I wouldn’t bother you with this, except Skye is away with Ford, and the last thing I want to do is bother her. Oh, Knox, she’s so happy right now.”

“So is Ford.” He smiled, and now that the truck had cooled, he closed the door and sat back. “I take it you need someone to talk to?” Count him in. Hell, even if there was a bun in the oven, he was still interested. He liked kids. He more than liked Laylee and had from the first moment he’d seen her. For months now, they’d been getting to know each other better.

His very first glimpse of her had snagged him because the woman was incredibly beautiful. Model-worthy, and in fact she did do local modeling and seemed successful. Plenty of reason for an insta-attraction there.

But at twenty-five, he’d known his fair share of attractive women. It was everything else about Laylee that made him think in terms of a relationship—her love for her sister, her boldness mixed with her occasional uncertainty, and the easy way she’d fit in with his group of close friends.

“They’re perfect for each other,” she said. “And yes, I bought a pregnancy test but now I’m afraid to do it.”

Alone. She was afraid to do it alone, and that’s where he could step in. “So how about I finish up here and head your way? We’ll do it together.”

She choked.

“I don’t plan to pee on the thing,” he teased. “I just meant I’d be there with you.”

Her voice softened, losing its edge. “You know how to do a pregnancy test, Knox?”

“I have a little sis, so yeah, I know.” Then he thought to add, “She’s two years younger and wants a family, just not yet. It was negative, by the way.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.”

They were getting off topic, but she was definitely calmer now, so he didn’t mind. “Sis recently turned twenty-four and my brother is now twenty-one. You’ll like them. You’ll like Mom and Dad, too.”

There was a long pause before she asked, “I’ll be meeting them?”

“Whenever you want.” He looked forward to introducing her to his family.

Laylee cleared her throat. “Okay, cool. I’d like that. Anytime is fine by me.”

“We’ll figure it out. But for now, how about that test? You want to wait for me?”

“You’re working. I mean, I knew that, but I’d forgotten when I called. I got home with the test kit, took it out of the bag, and then a wave of panic hit me. I might have freaked out Maybelline and Tank.”

The two dogs, both rescued from a shelter, were closely bonded yet as different as night from day. Maybelline was enormous, and whether Ford wanted to admit it or not, she was pretty damned homely. Sweet as could be, sure, but not a pretty sight. Tank was an itty-bitty thing who lacked Maybelline’s gentle nature. He was a feisty one, always ready to rumble, but once you won him over, he could be a sweetheart.

“The dogs will be fine,” he assured Laylee. “They feel secure now and they know they’re loved. They can handle you getting a little stressed.”

“Stressed and terrified.”

Yeah, he could hear the anxiety in her voice. “So, does the guy know you might be—”

“God, no. It was just a … desperate quickie?” She made a disgusted sound. “He wasn’t even that attractive, Knox! What was I thinking?” On a roll, she sneered, “But oh, I was feeling sorry for myself—a bad habit, for real—and he was a mistake that happened. I mean, not that he was icky or anything. I do have some standards.”

“I understand.” If only she’d come to him instead. “You only saw him once?” Not that he wanted details, God no, but if she was still involved with the guy, it mattered.

“One and done,” she promised. “Anyway, it dawned on me that things were … off. Then I wondered why and the big pregnancy scare hit. I want to be sure before I even think of talking to a guy.”

Damn it, he was a guy. Or hadn’t she even noticed? “Good decision.” If Knox had anything to say about it—not that he did yet, obviously—all other guys could take a hike. “We’ll work it out, okay?”

“Knox,” she breathed softly. “You’re the best friend a girl ever had.”

He barely kept his groan contained. Stuck in the friend zone. Hell, it was better than being shut out completely, but it wasn’t even close to where he wanted to be.

“No need to cut your day short,” she said. “Just telling someone else helped.”

“Sure, but you told me, right? Not just anyone, so why not wait until I’m with you?” Then, if it wasn’t the news she wanted, or even if it was, he’d be there for her.

“Thank you, I will. I meant that you don’t have to rush. You can finish up your day.”

“What will you do?”

“Wait for you.”

That sounded nice. “You promise?”

“You were planning to come by anyway, right? So we could walk the dogs?”

It was as good an excuse as any to spend time with her. “That’s the plan. I’ll only be a few more hours if you’re sure you don’t mind waiting.”

“I’m sure. Now that I know I don’t have to do this alone, I can handle it.”

She was more than okay. She was exceptional in every way. Tonight, he’d convince her of that.

After upsetting the dogs with her freak-out, Laylee spent some time in the backyard playing with them. They were great at chasing a ball. Maybelline always brought it back, but Tank tried to eat it. They were such awesome furry goofs.

She loved that she lived side by side with her sister. When Skye had married Ford, her next-door neighbor, she’d moved into his house, leaving her own empty.

Laylee wasn’t one to let a prime opportunity pass, so she’d quickly talked Skye into selling her the house and now had access to her twin every day. Well, except for now, while Skye and Ford were on a much-deserved getaway.

Without Skye, Laylee knew she’d spend most of her time utterly lost.

As everyone had always told her, Skye was the smart, serious twin. The one you could count on. Levelheaded, capable. She was a sister and a best friend, a confidante and, at select times, a co-conspirator. In short, Skye was the absolute best.

Laylee was just described as “beautiful and fun-loving.” Which basically equated to “fun-loving” because, after all, they were identical twins.

Sure, there were some subtle differences in their looks. Skye wore her hair styled differently—or more aptly, it wasn’t styled. Skye just let it hang while Laylee couldn’t imagine going out without first smoothing her long hair so that it perfectly framed her face. Skye was much more conservative in her clothing choices, too. Her sister was subtle and classy, while Laylee was colorful and bold.

And apparently, far too needy.

Ugh.

She really needed to get over herself.

Going to a window, she looked out at the backyard. After the recent storms, it was messy. She needed to clean up some branches. It was such a hot, humid day, though, she didn’t feel like working. The mess would still be there a few days from now, when the forecast claimed they’d have milder weather.

She didn’t know how Knox could bear working on a roof, but then, he amazed her daily. He was lean from physical labor, but also remarkably strong. His dark hair was a little too long, but she loved it. Almost as much as she loved his dark eyes.

He was one of the funniest guys she’d ever met and had such a remarkable group of friends. They were the kind of people you met and immediately liked. He and Ford were really tight, but they were also super close with Marcus and Bray.

They were all different. Ford was a polished pharmaceutical rep who also happened to have a big heart. Bray, as an MMA fighter, was all muscles and protectiveness. Marcus was a cop who seemed determined to save the world. All great guys, all handsome, and their wives were equally likable.

But from the start, there’d been something special about Knox.

Well, aside from the fact that he was the only single one of the group.

She trusted Knox the most. From the moment she’d met him, she’d felt … something. As she’d never felt it before, she couldn’t quite name it. Around him she was comfortable; she didn’t stress over the need to look her best or worry when she didn’t understand something. He brought contentment, and she often borrowed some of his confidence.

Sighing, Laylee wondered why he hadn’t made a move. Most men would have by now. She knew Knox was attracted to her, or at least, he gave every indication he was. So far though, he’d stuck to being “hands off.”

Now of course, after her call, she doubted he’d ever take that big step. After all, what man wanted to take on such responsibility? She wasn’t even sure she wanted to take it on.

Trying to outrun her thoughts, she opened the back door and turned to call the dogs. Since they were right behind her, she didn’t get out a single word. They nearly tripped her on their way out.

Smiling, she followed them onto the porch. Tank, the little rascal, was already barking at a squirrel that heckled him from high up in a tree. Maybelline stood there watching, her gentle gaze going from the squirrel to Tank and back again.

Groaning, Laylee dropped down to sit on the porch yoga style. “Oh, Maybelline, I think I’ve scared him off for good. I should have just taken the damn test. But no, I had to go and confide in Knox.”

Maybelline, the big lug, heard the sadness in Laylee’s voice and came to sit beside her, nearly knocking her over. Tank, unwilling to be left out, raced across the yard and scrambled onto her lap.

The dogs were amazing. “You guys.” She hugged them both. “You realize we’re now sitting outside in this miserable heat instead of enjoying the air-conditioning inside.” They didn’t seem to care. She’d probably gotten a dozen bug bites already.

It was another twenty minutes before she worked up the energy to move. She got the dogs in gear by asking, “Who wants a treat?” Now that she was layered in sweat, she’d need a shower before Knox arrived, and it wouldn’t kill her to repair her hair and makeup.

Unfortunately, the door seemed to be … stuck? Or had it locked?

Giving her curious looks, the dogs waited. Laylee tried to slide the door open again, but it didn’t budge. “Hang on, guys. Let me check the front door.” When she headed for the gate, the animals tried to follow her. “No, wait here. I’ll just be a minute.” Maybelline was no problem. She sat down, already panting in the heat. Tank tried his best to get around her the second she opened the gate. “No you don’t!”

She slipped out and then had to listen to his furious yapping as she jogged to the front. Of course, as she expected, that door was locked. Now what? She reached for the phone in her back pocket, but … no. She shouldn’t call Knox. What if he fell off the roof again?

What if he was already hurt?

Looking up at the sun, feeling the humidity like a wet blanket, she returned to the backyard and gave the dogs the bad news.

They’d just have to wait, but at least she had a hose. Maybe now was a good time to rinse off the dogs and just play a little.

Knox heard a commotion in the backyard as soon as he stepped out of his truck. Smiling, he headed in that direction. Tank was at the gate barking his head off, and Maybelline’s tail swung wildly in the air.

“Guess you guys heard me, huh?”

More joyous barking filled the air.

He noticed that both dogs were soaking wet.

“Whoa. What have you two gotten into?” Knowing Tank and his antics, Knox s. . .